Crime & Safety

Police Nab Armed Robbery Suspect, Link Case to Carjacking

One of the stolen cars and some property from the Royalty Spa have been recovered, police say. One suspect still sought.

Mill Valley Police have arrested a suspect in last at the Royalty Spa on Miller. Ave. and linked that case to the outside a home on Dorset Lane.

Oakland resident Jorge Estrada, 31, was arrested at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday and booked into Contra Costa County Jail on stolen vehicle and narcotics charges, according to Lt. Ken Dunkel. Police said the investigation was done in conjunction with the Walnut Creek Police Department. 

Police said they recovered one of the two cars that were stolen in the robbery at 314 Miller Ave. as well as some additional property.

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The incident occurred as two employees of the spa were locking up for the night at around 10 p.m. when they were met at the back door by a man displaying a handgun, police said.The employees were then forced at gun point to hand over an undisclosed amount of cash, keys to each of their cars, which were subsequently stolen, as well as some additional property.

“At this time, it is our belief that the armed robbery on Miller Avenue may be connected to the armed car-jacking of May 5 that occurred on Dorset Lane,” Dunkel said. "We are looking for at least one other suspect and have significant follow-up investigation in progress."

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In the carjacking, a resident of Dorset Lane was carjacked in the driveway of her home at around 2 p.m. Saturday with the suspect brandishing a gun and demanding her keys before fleeing in her silver 2007 BMW X5 SUV, police said.

The two incidents served as a one-two punch of crime over the weekend on the heels a drive-by attempted murder last month and a wild footchase with a half-naked burglar on April 30. At Monday night’s City Council meeting, City Manager Jim McCann sought to ease residents’ concerns about the string of incidents and hinted that some of them may have been related and that police were pursuing a number of leads.

“But Mill Valley is an extremely safe community,” he said.

Anyone with information on these cases can contact Detective Sgt. Paul Wrapp at 415.389.4100 x118 or pwrapp@cityofmillvalley.org or use an anonymous tip line at 415.721.4547.

Estrada's bail is currently set at $195,000. Dunkel said he anticipates filing additional charges in Marin.


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